New Delhi: The markets for the North-eastern region historically and geographically lie in India's neighbouring countries and these need to be rebuilt with appropriate trade protocols and improvement of infrastructure, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said on Saturday.

Addressing the National Development Council meeting, Sangma said basic infrastructure such as communication, power, etc to the existing land custom stations in the region is urgently required as this will provide an impetus for development of trade with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

"Greater attention should be given to a trade corridor from Bhutan to Chittagong through Dhubri and the Garo Hills," he said.

The chief minister said the last month's visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Bangladesh has helped to usher in an understanding of the difficulties, as well as the expectations between Bangladesh and the North-eastern states.

"We congratulate the Prime Minister for the initiatives taken, and hope that pending and unresolved issues will be addressed expeditiously in the spirit of statesmanship which has been portrayed by the leaders of both countries," he said.

Sangma said it is an undeniable fact that having trade links with Bangladesh will be beneficial to the entire North-eastern region.